Got a basement or closet full of stuff that you've been meaning to get rid of? Yeah, me too.

Fortunately, October is a great month for Ottawa residents who've been hanging on to old electronics and hazardous household waste - it's time to start clearing all that stuff out, starting this weekend.

The city is holding a one-day depot for hazardous waste [1] at the Maple Grove Depot tomorrow. They'll welcome your old CFL bulbs, as well as other products you can't throw away at the curb. Turpentine, aerosol cans, propane tanks and pool chemicals all fall into this category, along with several other detailed at the link above.

On Sunday the 28th, there will be an e-waste depot [2] at the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre Technical Services Building on Shefford Road. This is where you finally toss that old computer you've been meaning to re-build as a server but never will because who has the time these days? Uh, I guess that last bit was all about me, but anyway - old CRT monitors, VCRs and cellphones are also welcome. Read about it at the link above, as there is a small handling fee for selected items to be aware of.

Once that's done, make sure to take a moment to revel in all the extra space you've re-claimed. It'll feel twice as good to have done the disposal thing properly and have a little more room where you live.